Powder Technology and Natural Based Emollients

As the environmental awareness of consumers is growing, the use of unsafe chemicals is decreasing and the market for natural and safe emollients is expected to grow in a significant 10% in 2019. It seems that now is the perfect time for the cosmetics industry to start using safe ingredients and to solidify sales.

Safe and Natural based emollients are the new star of the show, they are now widely used in personal care formulations thanks to the smooth and moisturized feel they provide to the skin and hair products. In the next paragraphs we will find out more about these ingredients and what other benefits they can give to consumers.

Why are safe Emollients?

They are called safe because of the proven safety when applied on skin. A large part of safe emollients are natural. Depending on their consistency, natural emollients can be classified in:

• Oils
• Butters

Why how they are processed matters

These materials have not been chemically modified and they are still unrefined mixtures of hydrocarbons, triglycerides, esters, and alcohols. The extraction process is very important to protect the polyunsaturated components. For this reason, cold pressing is preferred to warm pressing since many of these components are very sensitive to heat.

Cold pressing of ground fruit, leaves, seed, nut paste is used to extract plant-based emollients. The oil is extracted using pressure afterwards. 

Ingredients that Work Best in Formulations

Since plant-based oils are more commonly used in formulations, we will only mention the ingredients they contain and that we think will work best for anti-oxidation, stabilization and anti-irritation purposes. Consequently, it is unavoidable here to talk about the unsaponifiables, which are components of an oily mixture that cannot be converted into soap. These components are:

• Tocopherols
• Sterols
• Carotenoids
• Hydrocarbons
• Alcohols
• Triterpenoids

It is also important to mention that highly unsaturated oils containing omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are very likely to oxidize and quite difficult to stabilize. They can also become very irritating when mixed with other ingredients, so formulate carefully.

Best Plant Based Emollients

Below is a list of the natural emollients most commonly used in formulations and that will work best for the formulator purposes.

• Squalane: It is a skin emollient based on hydrocarbons. In the past, it used to be extracted from shark liver oil, but now it is obtained from olive oil. Since it helps to reduce TEWL, fine lines and wrinkles, its use is very popular in skin products.

Our Dermanet Squalane is derived from olive oil and helps to soften and smooth the skin by refilling the skin lipids. Our version of Squalane ia an excellent skin moisturizer and also water soluble

• Jojoba oil: It is an ester obtained from a shrub that originally comes from southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico. It has a wonderful feel on the skin, which absorbs this oil pretty quick.

We are proud to market Dermanet Jojoba, which is a water soluble version with multiple uses thanks to its moisturizing and emollient properties. Its many benefits include:

• Reduces irritated skin
• Promotes natural generation of collagen
• Prevents premature aging
• It is also excellent for hair care applications

• Cocoa Butter: It is extracted from whole cocoa beans, which are detached from their hulls once they are fermented and roasted. Our butterpowder line offers mica coated with cocoa butter that is an excellent source of antioxidants and has admirable moisturizing and healing properties.
• Shea Butter: It is extracted from the kernels of the shea tree. Our shea coated powders are an excellent concentration of natural vitamins and fatty acids that is great for its anti-inflammatory, skin smoothing, softening, and strengthening properties.

Best Natural Options in the Market

Blue Sun International offers excellent solutions for the cosmetics industry. In addition to our natural based ecoglitter, our other products lines are always aiming to do good for our customers and the environment since we have learned plastic-containing products are very toxic for our planet. Our cosmetic glitters include Bioglitter Sparkle and the plastic free Bioglitter Pure.